


Spies and Lies

by moonlights_glow



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Best Friend Spencer, Blood and Injury, Canon-Typical Violence, Dad Rossi, F/M, Hospitals, Implied/Referenced Torture, penelope garcia is always right, vague spy stuff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-19
Updated: 2021-01-19
Packaged: 2021-03-17 09:20:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,608
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28846680
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moonlights_glow/pseuds/moonlights_glow
Summary: Agent (Y/N) (L/N) transfers to the FBI after a life at Interpol. But she keeps her past a mystery- one Derek Morgan was determined to solve.
Relationships: Derek Morgan/Reader
Kudos: 29





	Spies and Lies

“Three may keep a secret, if two of them are dead.” -Ben Franklin

~

“Guys, I’d like to introduce you to someone,” Hotch said to the gathered team. You walked in behind him, your hair pulled up in a tight ponytail. You looked pristine and proper, your posture near-perfect. “This is Agent (Y/N) (L/N). She’s starting with our unit today.”

“It’s lovely to meet you all,” you said. 

“Agent (L/N) transferred to the States from the London Interpol office,” Hotch explained. “Agent (L/N), you remember SSA Rossi.”

“Of course,” you said, shaking the older man’s hand. “It’s great to see you again, sir.”

“This is our communications liaison, Agent Jareau.”

“You can call me JJ,” the blonde said, shaking your hand.

“This is-”

“Agent Prentiss!” you said, cutting Hotch off. You stuck your hand out to shake hers. “It’s an honor to meet you. I heard so much about you. I was just a young trainee when you were with us, but we all heard so much about you.”

Emily smiled. “Well, I’m glad you could join our team.”

“This is Dr. Reid,” Hotch said, continuing to introduce you around. “He’s our expert in, well, everything.” Dr. Reid gave you a small smile and wave. Hotch nodded towards the last person in the room. “And this is Agent Morgan.”

Agent Morgan got up and walked over to you, shaking your hand and smiling. You couldn’t help but notice how his smile lit up the whole room. “It’s nice to meet you, Agent (L/N).” He was taller than you were, and he was muscular. Very muscular. 

“It’s nice to meet you too, Agent Morgan.”

“Now that we’re all acquainted, we can discuss the case.” Hotch took his place next to JJ and you sat in between Morgan and Reid, looking through the file you’d been handed.

~

After landing and setting up in the precinct of the small Connecticut town, Hotch gave the team assignments, pairing you with Spencer to work on the geological profile. Morgan and Prentiss were sent to the crime scenes, and Hotch and Rossi went to the morgue. 

Morgan was looking over the latest scene when his phone rang. “Hey babygirl,” he answered. “You got something for us?”

“Yeah, I got some information on the latest victim, it’s sent to your phones. But that’s not why I called.”

“Is everything okay?”

“So, I looked into this new agent a little bit.”

“Penelope…”

“What? This new girl comes in and goes on a case with my family, I need to make sure she’s okay.”

Derek shook his head despite his smile. “And did you find anything incriminating?”

“No. I didn’t find  _ anything _ . I mean,  _ anything _ . Obviously the information from the bureau and Interpol, but besides that, there’s nothing.”

“Garcia, she’s fine. She’s nice. I’ll introduce the two of you when we get back.”

“You better!”

Meanwhile, you were working alongside Dr. Reid. The two of you got along quite well. Spencer found that you enjoyed many of the same shows and books that he did, which was exciting. He didn’t remember the last time he had someone he could actually talk with about those things. You seemed more reserved, but Spencer chalked that up to you being new to the team and still adjusting. You came back from the breakroom with two cups for you and Spencer. 

“Coffee?”

“Thanks,” Spencer said, taking the styrofoam cup from you. He was staring at the letter pinned to the evidence board. “There’s one phrase in this that doesn’t make sense,” he said. 

“Here, let me look,” you said, standing next to him and reading the letter. “I speak fluent Russian.” You read through the letter and softly said, “Oh.”

“What? What is it?”

“See this right here?  _ Ya tebe pokazhu gde raki zimuyut _ . It means I’ll show you where the lobsters spend the winter,” you translated. “It’s a threat.”

“What?”

“It’s an idiom, much like the English saying where the sun doesn’t shine. This whole letter has a hostile tone. This victim knew it was coming.”

After you finished talking, the rest of the team filed into the precinct.

“What did you two find?” Hotch asked. 

“I was just telling Spencer, the letter has a hostile tone. If the victim was fluent in Russian, which judging by the phrases used, I believe she was, she knew it was coming.”

“Wait, what do you mean by the phrases used?” Prentiss asked. 

“It’s not textbook Russian,” you said, pulling the letter off the evidence board to point to the phrases you were talking about. “These aren’t phrases you’d know if you were learning Russian as a second language, unless you lived in Russia.”

“And you understand the phrases?” Hotch asked, though it was more of a statement. 

“Yes. I’m fluent in Russian. I’m also fluent in five other languages and I can speak a total of 13. But that’s not important. Look at this here.”

~

After three long, stressful days, the team tracked down the unsub. He didn’t come quietly, which caused some injuries. Mostly to you, as you were the one to take him down. After Rossi and Hotch cuffed him, Morgan came over to you, helping you up. 

“Are you okay?” he asked you. “It looks like he dislocated your shoulder. Come on, the ambulance is out front.”

You waved your good arm at him. “I don’t need a bloody hospital,” you said. You grabbed your wrist and braced yourself, groaning as you popped your shoulder back into place. “See? Problem solved. I’m gonna go catch up with Emily.”

Derek watched speed up to catch Prentiss, shock still clear on his face. What kind of person can relocate their own shoulder and only wince? You were mysterious, and Derek was determined to know you. The real you.

~

“So,” you said when you and Spencer were sitting in his apartment, watching the latest episode of Doctor Who, “what’s the deal with Morgan and the computer girl?”

“Who, Garcia? Oh, they’ve had this weird flirt-bubble since she started. Why?” Spencer asked while rifling through his cabinets for more snacks during a commercial break.

“No reason. Toss me the crisps?”

Spencer threw you the bag while observing you. “You like Morgan!” he realized.

“What? I never said that!” you defended yourself. 

“I’m a profiler, (Y/N). You didn’t have to say it.” When he saw your nervous body language, he said, “Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone. If you want, the secret will die with me.”

You smiled. “Thanks, Spence. Oh, it’s back!”

Spencer threw himself back on the couch, the bowl of popcorn he was holding spilling a little in his hurry. You laughed and tossed Spencer a blanket and he propped his long legs up on his coffee table.

~

You were leaning over crime scene photos, looking for any little detail that might tell you something, anything about the unsub. Your phone started ringing and you pulled it from your pocket. 

“Yeah, Garcia?”

One of the uniformed officers walked over to Morgan. “So, what’s the deal with the Brit?” he asked. 

“Excuse me?”

“You know, is she single? If not, is it serious?”

Morgan clenched his jaw. “That is very unprofessional, Officer Yates,” he said. “You’re lucky I don’t report you to your superior.”

The officer gave Morgan a dirty look before walking off. Morgan walked over to you, where you were still on the phone with Garcia.

“Thanks, love.” You hung up and turned to Morgan. “What did the officer want?”

“Oh, nothing important,” Morgan said. “What did Garcia say?”

~

“Oh, (Y/N)! (Y/N)!” Garcia said, running up to you. 

“Oh, hey, Penelope,” you said. 

“I just got a call from a quite Irish-sounding Graham Bennington, he was asking for you.”

Your back tensed and you stopped walking, turning to look at Penelope. “Graham Bennington?”

“Yeah, who is he? Is he an ex-boyfriend?”

You laughed. “No. No, not at all. If anything, he was more like a second dad. What did he want?”

“He said he needs to talk to you. He wants you to call him as soon as possible.”

The two of you got to the briefing room and you flopped into your usual chair, next to Spencer. He handed you your mug of tea and you opened the file in front of you while you waited for the meeting to start. 

~

You were looking over the latest crime scene with Spencer when you felt your phone vibrate. You pulled it out of your pocket and glanced at the text message on the screen.

**Unknown Number**

_ We need to talk. -G.B. _

You cleared your throat and tucked it back in your pocket. 

“Everything okay?” Spencer asked you. 

“I’m fine.” You ran a hand through your hair as you looked at the crime scene. While you still worked on the case, your mind kept drifting towards the text you received. Thankfully, the case was fairly open-and-shut and you were able to get back home after only a few days. 

You walked into the dimly-lit restaurant and walked towards the back, finding the table furthest out of sight. 

“(Y/N),” a grey-haired man said, getting up from the table. 

“Graham,” you said, briefly hugging him before the both of you sat back down. “I would have gotten back to you sooner, but I got busy on a case.”

“I take it you like the new job?” he asked you.

“Yeah. I’m still getting used to America though,” you chuckled before clearing your throat. “What did you need to talk to me about? Is everything okay?”

Graham looked around the restaurant before leaning closer to you. “Oliver Meadows escaped from prison.”

You froze. “No. No, you…” you raised a shaky hand, pointing at the man in front of you, “you told me he was dead. You told me they killed him.”

“We were trying to protect you-” you cut Graham off with a loud scoff, “We thought keeping it a secret-”

“Secret? No, that’s not a secret. That’s a lie. You lied to me. For eight years.” You pushed up from the table. “For eight years, I thought the nightmare was over.” You shook your head. “Thanks a lot, Graham.” You stormed off, leaving your old mentor at the table. 

~

You were late to work for the first time ever, and it didn’t go unnoticed. You finally made it to the conference room, your head down as you tried to quietly make it to your seat. Thankfully, you got there before the briefing started.

Your hair was a mess and your makeup from the day before still clung to your face. Your blouse was wrinkled and you looked exhausted. 

“Someone have a long night?” Morgan asked you. 

“Someone want to mind their own business?” you snapped, collapsing into your usual seat.

Hotch raised his eyebrow at you but cleared his throat. “Shall we begin?”

On the jet to Missouri for the next case, Spencer sat next to you. 

“What’s going on?” he asked you. 

“What are you talking about?”

“Come on, (Y/N). You’re never late, and you always look pristine. Something’s obviously wrong.”

“I’m fine,” you lied, flicking to the next page of the case file. “Just overslept is all.”

“And the snapping at Morgan…?”

“He didn’t need to know,” you said. “I’m fine, Spencer.”

You could tell he didn’t believe you, but he let it go.

~

After returning from the latest case, the BAU was called immediately to another, this one in D.C. When the team rolled up to the scene, the lead detective was standing outside the building. 

“Hi, Detective Ramsey,” the detective said, stretching his hand out. 

“Agent Jennifer Jereau, we spoke on the phone,” JJ said, shaking the detective’s hand. “This is my team.” 

“Well, I’ll take you up to the scene. It’s not pretty.”

“Who’s the victim?” Morgan asked as he, Rossi, and you followed the detective up the stairs to the apartment. 

“His name is Graham Bennington. Irish, 64 years old.”

“(L/N), isn’t that the man who called Garcia to talk to you a week ago?” Rossi asked you.

“Yeah. Yeah, we worked together at Interpol,” you said, swallowing back the lump in your throat.

The apartment door was open and the CSIs were still roaming the rooms. The apartment was torn apart, like someone was looking for something. When you saw the body on the floor, you gasped, stumbling back. 

“(Y/N)?” Morgan said, looking over at you. 

Your face was pale and your hands were shaking. You turned and ran out of the apartment, taking the back entrance and standing in the apartment complex’s parking lot. You sat on the step, your head in your hands as you tried to control your breathing. Tears stung your eyes.

“Hey. You alright, kid?” Rossi asked you, sitting down next to you on the step.

You shook your head. You took a deep breath and lifted your head, wiping tears from your eyes. “Graham was like my father. He looked out for me, protected me. And the last conversation I had with him, I was yelling at him. I called him a liar. I didn’t mean it, I was just… angry. And now I can’t even apologize.” You covered your face in your hands again. 

“Well, maybe you can apologize by figuring out who killed him.”

“I know who killed him.”

~

You were sitting in the conference room, the team surrounding you. You could tell they were all upset and confused. Hotch stood at the front of the room, his arms crossed. 

You closed your eyes and took a deep breath, swallowing harshly. “His name is Oliver Meadows,” you said. “You won’t find him unless he wants to be found.”

“How can you be so sure?” Reid asked you. 

“We were spies, it’s what we were trained to do.”

Hotch looked at you, an eyebrow raised. “You were a spy? Why didn’t you tell us?”

You sighed, looking away from the team. “I needed you to trust me. If you knew I was a spy, you wouldn’t have been able to look past that. So I chose to hide my past. It was more important that you know who I  _ am _ , not who I  _ was _ .”

Spencer looked at you. “That actually explains a lot,” he said. 

“Excuse me?”

“The parts of your profile that didn’t make sense,” Spencer explained. “It’s like puzzle pieces falling into place.”

“So, why did Meadows kill Bennington?” Rossi asked you. 

You kept your eyes averted. “Ollie’s coming after me. And he knew if anyone would know my location, it would be Graham.”

“Well, we obviously can’t let you just go home,” Rossi said.

“You can stay with me!” Spencer and Garcia said at the same time. The two started bickering about which apartment would be better. 

“She shouldn’t stay with either of you,” Hotch said, interrupting them. “It would be too predictable. Morgan, can she stay with you?”

“With all due respect, sir,” you said, “I’m not leaving my flat.”

“(L/N)-”

“Hotch, I  _ know  _ Oliver. If I leave, he’ll know I’m onto him and he’ll disappear for god knows how long. If I stay put, we’ll have a better chance at catching him.”

Hotch sighed. “Fine. But Morgan is going to stay with you.” You opened your mouth to protest, but Hotch’s glare stopped you.

~

You knew Derek wasn’t going to let you leave his sight. When you got back to your apartment, he set himself up on your couch, facing your door. You put a kettle on to boil and pulled two mugs out of the cabinet. 

“Tea?” you asked him. 

“Oh, no thanks,” he said. His eyes were taking in your apartment. The walls were bare and there were no picture frames anywhere. There was no personalization at all. This wasn’t a home, it was just a place to sleep.

“There’s towels and extra blankets in the linen closet,” you told him. “Feel free to take whatever you want from the kitchen.” You noticed Derek staring at you. “What?”

“Who is this guy we’re dealing with?” he asked you.

You sighed and sat next to him on the couch. “I might as well tell you. Ollie is… well, he thinks I betrayed him. We worked together occasionally and one day, he just  _ snapped _ . He went rogue. It took us nearly a year to track him down. He’s dangerous, Derek. I didn’t tell you when it started because I don’t want you getting caught in his crossfire. I didn’t want any of you getting hurt.”

Derek rested a hand on your cheek, wiping a tear away with his thumb. You hadn’t even realized you were crying. “Hey. No one’s going to get hurt, okay?” He gently turned your head so he could see your eyes. “We’re all here for you. All of us.”

The two of you held eye contact for a few moments longer before breaking away. 

You coughed, trying to cover the blush on your cheeks. “I’m, uh, I’m gonna go lay down. I haven’t really gotten any sleep.”

“I’ll be here if you need anything,” Morgan promised you. 

~

You pulled your gun out of your dresser drawer and secured it to your side before opening your bedroom window and quietly climbing out. It felt strange sneaking out of your own apartment, but it was the only thing you could think of to protect Derek. And the others. You shook your head, trying to clear the thoughts of his warm hand on your cheek, and his eyes looking into yours with so much care.

You slipped down the fire escape and landed softly on the pavement below. You glanced around the alleyway. 

“Alright, where are you, Ollie?” you said. “I know you’re here.” You slowly turned around before a heavy, blunt object hit the back of your head.

~

Morgan was panicking. He was put in charge of watching over you, and you were gone. The team was scrambling to find something,  _ anything _ , that could locate you. 

Spencer walked over to Derek. “Hey. Are you alright?”

“It’s my fault,” he said. “It’s my fault, Reid. I promised to watch over her and now she’s gone.”

“Morgan, it’s not your fault,” Spencer assured him. “She was trained as a spy, she knows how to slip by people.”

“But if something happens to her-”

“We’ll find her before that happens. This is (Y/N) we’re talking about. She must have left something for us. She’s smart and resourceful.”

“Guys,” Prentiss called from her bedroom. “Come look at this.”

~

You opened your eyes, but it was still dark. Your wrists and ankles were restrained to a metal chair. There was also a rope tied around your torso. You gave an experimental tug on the ropes binding your wrists and laughed.

“A little overkill, don’t you think, Oliver?” you said into the darkness. “I mean, are you really this intimidated by me?”

“Not intimidated,” a man said, coming into view. “Just thorough. After all, isn’t that what you said I was bad at? I wasn’t thorough enough? I was too impulsive?”

“I see it’s still true,” you told him. “Blitz attacking me in an alleyway?” You scoffed. “My team’s going to find me real soon.”

“That’s funny. Team. I didn’t think you knew the meaning of the word. After all, when I needed someone on my side, I was left to fend for myself.”

You narrowed your eyes. “You killed twelve people, Oliver. Nine of them were civilians.”

He looked over you. “Tell me, why didn’t you visit me? I was in prison for eight years, and not once did I get so much as a letter from you.”

“I didn’t feel the need to visit. You were dead to me,” you told him, only half-lying. You looked him in the eyes. “If you’re gonna kill me, kill me.”

~

“Okay, I was able to mine a bunch of information on Oliver Meadows,” Garcia said into the phone while the team drove to the location he most likely had you. “He was a spy with Interpol, just like our dear (Y/N). Only unlike our angel, he didn’t leave on a good note. According to the records, he snapped and killed his partner. After that, he went on a rampage, killing 11 more people, two more Interpol agents. The rest were just regular people.”

“Thank you, Garcia,” Emily said. 

“Please be careful, my loves.”

The SUVs finally reached the abandoned warehouse and the team suited up. All planning was forgotten when they heard you scream, a blood-curdling sound that made Derek’s stomach clench. Derek ran to the door and kicked it open, Hotch and Rossi right behind him.

“Take a good look, Lover Boy,” Oliver said to Morgan, a blade against your throat as he held you against his body. Your face was bruised and bloodied, and there was a deep cut on your cheek, bleeding heavily. Your shirt was stained a deep maroon from multiple stab wounds. You looked like you were about to topple over if he let go. “This is the last you’re ever going to see of her.” 

Before Oliver could do anything, a loud bang reverberated through the warehouse and he dropped to the floor, dead. Morgan ran over to you and caught you before you fell. Spencer’s gun was still raised and aimed at Oliver.

You looked at the body on the floor. “The son of a bitch got what he deserved,” you spat before the blood loss you’d suffered at his hands caused you to pass out.

~

“(L/N) family?” a doctor said, coming into the waiting room. The team stood up and Morgan walked over to the doctor. 

“How is she? Is she okay?”

“It was a little touch-and-go for a bit, but she pulled through. She had a lot more internal scarring than we expected, but your girl is strong. She’s under heavy sedation, but she should be waking up soon.” When the team started moving forward, the doctor held up his hand. “You don’t want to overwhelm her. I would recommend only one or two people in her room at a time.”

“Thank you, Doctor,” Hotch said with a small smile. The team was arguing behind him over who was going to sit in the room with her.

“She’s my best friend! She’s practically my sister, I should be there when she wakes up!” Spencer argued.

Penelope and Derek started arguing with Spencer. Rossi rolled his eyes and walked to your room while the rest of the team argued and Hotch tried to calm everyone down.

~

You woke up in a hospital bed, cords and tubes attached to you. Monitors beeped steadily next to you. Your mouth felt like it had been stuffed with cotton and you felt like the blanket on top of you was weighted.

“Welcome back, kid.” You blinked the sleep from your eyes and squinted in the harsh hospital lighting. Rossi was sitting in the chair in the corner of the room. “You had us worried there.”

You smiled. “Sorry about that,” you said. Your voice was raw and scratchy. “Where are the others?”

“Probably still arguing in the waiting room,” Rossi said. “They all wanted to be here with you when you woke up.” 

Spencer nearly ran into the door in his hurry to get to your room. After remembering how doors work, he ran over to you, wrapping you in a hug while still being gentle. “Oh, thank god,” he said. He let go of you and hit the side of your head. 

“Ow! What the hell, Spence? Injure the ill, why don’t you?” you grumbled, rubbing the spot he hit. 

“What were you thinking going off on your own? You almost died!”

“But I didn’t,” you argued. “I’m fine.”

Rossi got up from his chair. “I’ll go let the others know you’re awake,” he said. He kissed your cheeks before leaving your room. 

You cleared your throat. “How’s Morgan doing?” you asked Spencer. 

“Honestly? He’s been a mess worrying about you,” Spencer told you. 

“Really?”

“(Y/N), why don’t you just tell him how you feel? We all see it.”

You shook your head. “No. No, I-I can’t. I can’t get involved with someone I work with again.”

“What do you mean again?”

You sighed, chewing the inside of your lip. “Promise you won’t tell the others.” After Spencer crossed his heart, you said, “Ollie and I weren’t just coworkers. He was my boyfriend. For three years. That’s why Graham didn’t tell me he was still alive. He knew I loved him. I-I don’t anymore. I stopped loving him before I even joined the BAU.”

“And you don’t want to get hurt again,” Spencer realized. After you nodded, Spencer pulled the chair next to your bed and sat down, taking your hand in his. “(Y/N), you can’t let the past dictate your future. You can’t let what happened all those years ago keep you from being happy. I see the way you look at Morgan, and I see the way he looks at you. Please, let yourself be happy. Talk to him.”

When the door opened, you both looked over to see Derek standing in the doorway. Spencer stood up and kissed your forehead. “Love you,” he told you. 

You smiled. “Love you too, Spence.”

Spencer clapped Derek’s shoulder before leaving the two of you alone. 

“How are you feeling?” Derek asked you, taking the vacated chair.

“Well, I’m gonna have a badass scar,” you joked. Derek laughed and brushed a piece of hair out of your eyes. “You know, your smile is so pretty. It makes everything seem so much brighter.”

“I think the morphine is kicking in again,” Derek said. “I’ll leave you to rest.”

You reached your hand out and grabbed his wrist as he stood up. “Stay with me? Please?”

Morgan couldn’t say no to you. He sat back down and took your hand in his. He sat with you long after you fell asleep. It wasn’t until Penelope came in that he let go. 

“You know, staring at a woman while she sleeps is creepy,” Penelope said. She stood behind Derek and rested her hands on his shoulders. “Besides, it’s almost time to go.”

“Someone should be here when she wakes up. I don’t want her to wake up alone.”

“Well, I guess it’s a good thing I told the nurses you were her boyfriend.”

“Penelope-”

“What? It’s not  _ really  _ a lie,” she said. “We all know you’re into each other. Just ask her out, What’s the worst that could happen? She says yes and you live happily ever after with a fabulous wedding planned by me?”

Derek laughed and shook his head. “You’re ridiculous.”

“Just think about it,” she said. “I’m gonna give Reid a ride home. Call me with any updates on (Y/N).”

“I will.”

Penelope squeezed his shoulder and kissed your forehead before heading out. 

“Penelope’s right, you know,” you said, your eyes still closed. “I wouldn’t say no.”

“I thought you were asleep,” Derek said.

“I was for a while,” you said. “I woke up when Pen came in.” You opened your eyes and moved to sit up. “And she’s right. Go ahead, ask me out. See what I say.” You smiled at him, an eyebrow quirked. 

Derek cleared his throat. “Okay. Uh, (Y/N), will you go out to dinner with me when they let you out of here?”

“Yes, Derek,” you told him, “I will go out to dinner with you.”

~

“To move forward, you have to leave the past behind.” -Author Susannah Cahalan 


End file.
